Count your age by friends, not
years and count your life by smiles,
not tears and know that time you
enjoy wasting is not really wasted
and the rest of your life could be the
best of your life because you never
get too old to be young and life may
not be the party you hoped for but
while you are here, you should dance.

In youth we learn, in age we understand,
no matter how hard life is, and don't
lose hope, just fill your heart with what's
important and be done with it, and love
those random memories that make you
smile, no matter what's going on in your
life right now, and work in silence, letting
your message be your noise.

Love the life you live and live the life
you love knowing life is to be enjoyed,
not just endured, and do things that
move you because life is too short to
wait, so be happy knowing that every
day is a new beginning and take a
deep breath and start again, and don't
chase people, be yourself, and do your
own thing, working hard, because if
you do, the  right people, the ones who
really belong in your life, will come
to you and stay.

The idea is to die young as late as
possible, so forgive yourself, again and
again and again, as many times as it
takes to find peace, and people will
love you, people will hate you, and
none of it will have anything to do
with you so no matter how hard it is,
don't lose hope, realizing that character
like a photograph, develops in the dark
and know that something that can't be
done is just something that hasn't been
done before.
                                                      Jon York     2016